APF Professional Development Seminar

I haven’t blogged in quite awhile, due mostly to the rigors of graduate school. However, I did get to attend the World Future Society’s annual conference in Minneapolis this past week. Very strange to have been there only about 24 hours before the bridge collapsed. Imagine the shock I had when I saw the news the day after I returned home, and realized that I had taken a picture of that bridge in the distance on my cell phone as I was standing on the “Endless Bridge” at the famous Guthrie Theater. Sad news, and it reminds us all of the need to be proactive in designing the future in order to impact the present, both in our own lives and for the betterment of all humanity!

The conference was fantastic, and the sessions were fascinating and enlightening. However, I always get the most out of “one-on-one” meetings over lunch or dinner, and this experience was no exception. I especially enjoyed the Association of Professional Futurists’ Professional Develop Seminar (above picture) that took place the day before the WFS conference began. It was great to talk with futurists such as Peter Bishop, Wendy Schultz, Andy Hines, Michelle Bowman, Sue Whitfield, Cindy Frewen, Ann Feeney, and Mary Beth McEuen. (A special “shout-out” to the brilliant guys that graduated from the FS progam at Swinburne University in Australia).

What I’m trying to say is that the creative energy that comes from even a short encounter of networking and collaborative knowledge-sharing is worth a thousand conference sessions. This is not to say that you shouldn’t attend the conference next year. To the contrary, this is often where new friends and important contacts are made, and relationships are the stuff of life… innovation… memories… creativity… and laughter.

Thanks APFers, you will definitely see me at as many “wine and cheese” events in the future as possible! I have a few other highlights that I want to blog on, but I’ll save them for the next couple of entries.